Concerned members of the South Sudanese community in Britain said the ruling SPLM party must step aside and allow for new leadership in a transitional period.
The community members voiced this decision at a peace, reconciliation and national unity conference in London on 18 July.
“The SPLM led government has violated the interim constitution, it plunged the country into serious political, economic, social and humanitarian crisis and therefore should accept out of ‘Love and compassion’ handing over the power during the transition back to the people,” read a statement from Benjamin Taban Avelino, Chairman of the South Sudanese Community in UK.
The UK community recommended that the African Union and the United Nations should help the people of South Sudan to enact an alternate interim administration.
“The patience of our people has run out and the majority have lost trust and confidence in the political system that has gone out of touch,” the conference decided. “The government no longer serves the people equitably nor does it protect the interest of all its citizens, while the self-inflicted war destroys us. The SPLM/A led government and opposition should not scramble over power, but to know that it is the right and responsibility of the citizens to either withdraw or grant power to the government, power must not be grabbed by the barrel of the gun.”
They added that the regional bloc IGAD which is mediating a peace process in Addis Ababa cannot impose a transitional government onto the people of South Sudan as has been proposed. The group said peace must come from the people.
“The 30 month transitional period is for a long time, without the agreement of South Sudanese people,” the group said. “The IGAD imposed government would never be owned by the people. We must have the right to entrust a government that would be desired, supported and honoured by the people.”
“South Sudanese people should have the sovereignly superior power over the land, state and the government, they should be honoured to rectify and validate the peace agreement,” they added.
The conference said South Sudanese people and the diaspora must be included in the Addis Ababa talks to come up with “homegrown solutions that can truly deal with the problems created by the SPLM.”
The principle guests at the meeting were Bishop Paride Taban of South Sudan, former Archbishop of Canterbury Rt. Revd. Dr Rowan Williams, and former Ambassador of UK and EU representative to Sudan Dame Rosalind Marsden.
Radio Tamazuj photo: South Sudanese women protest for peace in Juba